What is appropriation? Is it cultural violation? Is it an effective strategy for cultural critique? Is it an ethically neutral reality of history and creative process? Is it an act of love? Is it shallow? Is it a way of claiming kinship or belonging? Who gets to decide? This course dives into questions about owning culture. We'll look at art (mostly 20th and 21st century US painting and performance) and read art criticism, anthropology and archeology, contemporary journalism, and artists' statements to explore different ways people understand what it means to use other people's work, images, and lives. Most of us have been taught the "right" and "wrong" answers to many of the questions that arise in this course. Repeating these is neither critically helpful nor interesting. Our emphasis will be on putting different approaches and ideas together to arrive at new and more nuanced perspectives. In addition to several short written reflections, you will bring our theory into your practice through two making assignments—creative acts of love, criticism, and theftPhilosophy and Critical Theory (PHCRT) courses focus on developing critical reading and thinking skills, with an emphasis on learning to frame and explore meaningful questions. Students consider multiple perspectives and claims in the process of formulating independent, well-founded opinions.

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